Separable fastener



Nov. 14, 1933. R. c. mam 1,934,865

SEPARABLE FASTENER Filed May 5, 1931 a an! mas mvzgy Patented Nov. 14, 1933 1,934,865 SEPARABLE FASTENER Robert C. Legat, New Britain, Conn., assignor to G. E. Prentice Manufacturing Company, New Britain, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application May 5, 1931., Serial No. 535,245

3 Claims.

This invention pertains to separable or slide actuated fasteners wherein opposed series of fastener units are secured respectively to tapes or stringers defining the opposite edges of a gap 5 to be closed, and relates more particularly to the construction of such a tape, stringer, or equivalent elements.

In order to provide a secure anchorage for the fastener units, particularly when the units are independent of one another, it has been common to provide the outer edge of the tape or stringer with a head or thickened portion which is embraced or penetrated by claws or other retaining portions of the units. The usual and most economical and practical method of providing such beaded stringers is to weave them in the form of a flat body portion having an integral tubular margin, and during the weaving to insert a heavy stutter warp or cord in this tubular margin.

As heretofore constructed, the stuffer warp or cord is not in any way bound or-anchored to the structure'of the stringer proper, being merely a substantially straight element extending longitudinally through the channel in the tubular margin. This freedom of the stuffer warp or cord from mechanical interconnection with or anchorage tothe other parts of the stringer permits it'to move longitudinally with reference to the stringer proper under certain conditions of use, but since the bead or thickened edge forms the anchorage for the fastening units, such creeping of the cord or stuffer tends to cause cocking or unequal spacing of the units with consequent s5 imperfect operation of the fastener.

In accordance with the present invention, I provide a stringer tape having a beaded edge in which the stufling material is securely anchored in position so that lengthwise creeping is pre- 0 vented and thus ensure proper arrangement and spacing of the fastener elements throughout the length of the fastener under all conditions of use. I contemplate that such anchorage of the stufling means may be accomplished in various 5 ways within the scope of the present invention and have herein illustrated two modes of attaining the desired result. Thus, by way of example, in accordance with one construction, the studing means is anchored into the material of the 0 stringer during the weaving operation, as by the use of special stitching warps which are caused to pass in zigzag fashion transversely through the stufling material and which interengage with the opposite walls of the beaded 5 edge ofthe stringer proper. In an alternative arrangement the desired result is accomplished by preparing in any usual fashion a beaded stringer having a stuifer warp or cord disposed in its tubular margin and then anchoring this 'stuffer cord in position by forming a sewed seam extending lengthwise of the stringer and comprising stitches which extend transversely through the stufiermaterial and the opposite walls of the tubular margin.

In the accompanying drawing wherein these specific embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a separable fastener having fastener units mounted upon beaded stringers embodying the pres- 7 ent invention; 1

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation, to large scale, of a beaded stringer tape wherein the stufiing means is anchored in place by integral elements of the stringer structure; 7

Fig.3 is a diagrammatic section substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, to larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic section substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 but to still larger scale;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation of a stringer tape having the stuffer material anchored by means independent of the structural elements of the tape; and

Fig. 6 is a section substantially on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5, but to larger scale. a 35 Referring to the drawing, the fastener illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises the tapes or stringers 1 and 2 provided respectively with series of fastener units 3 and 4 which may be of any usual or desired type and which are moved into and out of engaging relationship by means of .the slider 5. The units 3 and 4 are secured to the edge of their stringers in any desired manner as, for example, by the use of jaw members which embrace the beaded edge 6 of the stringer.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 2,3 and 4, one preferred construction of stringer comprises a body portion 1 of one-ply material consisting, for example, of longitudinally extending warps 7 and transversely extending wefts 8 which may be interwoven in accordance with any usual system, for example, a close twill, but which are so manipulated in forming one margin as to produce a tubular structure, as shown at the right in Fig; 3. The mode of weaving such a structure is well known to those skilled in the art and need not be described herein.

In accordance with the present invention this tubular marginal portion 6 is so woven as to include one or more stuifer warps 9 which, in the weaving, may be treated in the shedding operation as a single strand and which is so disposed as to lie substantially straight and without me-- chanical interconnection with the warps and wefts 7 and 8. In order to bind the stufier material in position and to prevent it from moving longitudinally in the channel in the tubular margin, I prefer, in accordance with this embodiment of the invention, to interweave one or m re pairs of stitching warps 10, 11 respectively with the warps and wefts '7 and 8, such stitching warps 10 and 11 being disposed in zigzag fashion so that their bends are exposed alternately at the front and rear sides of the beaded margin, while the portions which unite said bends extend transversely through the stuffer material. These -binding warps 10 and 11 preferably are somewhat thicker than the warps 7, and in passing transversely through the stuffer material 9 tend to crowd the latter aside so that the stufier material is very firmly bound in place and prevented from moving longitudinally in the channel in the tubular margin. While a single pair of such stitching warps accomplishes the result, I contemplate that a greater number may be used.

While the above construction in which all of the parts are integrally united during weaving is useful for] the purpose, I contemplate that similar results may be obtained by the method illustrated in Figs. 5 and.6. In this construction the stringer may be woven in general in the same way as above described comprising the body portion 1*, preferably of one-ply material, and the integrally united tubular marginal portion 6 which includes the stuffer warps 9*. However, in

this instance thestuifer warps 9 are not bound in-by special stitching warps but, on the other hand, after weaving, a sewed seam consisting of stitches 12 is made to extend longitudinally of the beaded margin so that the stitches l2 pass transversely through the walls of the tubular margins and through the enclosed bundle of stuffer warps, thus securely anchoring the latter against longitudinal movement.

While I have herein illustrated certain desirable embodiments of the invention by way of example, it is to be understood that all equivalent constructions may be substituted therefor so far as such equivalent constructions fall within the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a slide fastener, a stringer and a plurality of fastener elements secured along one edge thereof, said stringer comprising transverse and longitudinal strands arranged to form a fiat body portion and a tubular margin integral with the body portion, the walls of the tubular margin comprising the same transverse strands as the body portion, stufling material filling the interior of the tubular margin and providing a heavy thick flexible edge for receiving said fastener elements, such stuffing material being completely enclosed by the walls of the tubular margin but being free from interlocking engagement with the said transverse strands, and a pair of stitching warps, independent of the strands which form the wall of the tubular margin, said stitching warps extending longitudinally of the tubular margin and alternately engaging the opposite walls of the latter, said stitching warps crossing each other within the body of the stuffing material.

2. In a slide fastener, a stringer and a plurality of fastener elements secured along one edge thereof, said stringer comprising transverse and longitudinal strands arranged to form a flat body portion and a tubular margin integral with the body portion, the walls of the tubular margin comprising the same transverse strands as the body portion, stuffing material filling the interior of the tubular margin and providing a heavy thick flexible edge for receiving said fastener elements, such stuffing material being completely enclosed by the walls of the tubular margin but being free from interlocking engagement with the said transverse strands, and stitching warps independent of the strands which form the wall of the tubular margin, extending lengthwise of the tubular margin and passing in zigzag form transversely through the stufimg material and being exposed alternately at the exterior of the opposite walls of the tubular margin.

3. In a slide fastener, a stringer and a plurality of fastener elements secured along one edge thereof, said stringer comprising transverse and longitudinal strands arranged to form-a fiat body portion and a tubular margin integral with the body portion, the walls of the tubular margin comprising'the same transverse strands as the body portion, stuffing material filling the interior of the tubular margin and providing a heavy thick flexible edge for receiving said fastener elements, such stuffing material being completely enclosed by the walls of the tubular margin but being free from interlocking engagement with the said transverse strands, and a continuous stitching strand independent of the strands which form the wall of the tubular margin, for securing the stiffening material in place, said stitching strand extending longitudinally of the tubular margin in zigzag form with its bends exposed alternately at the outer surfaces of the opposite walls of the tubular margin and with the parts which unite said bends extending through the stuffer material, said stitching strand being thicker than the longitudinal wall forming strands and being operative to crowd the stufling material aside and into firm contact with the walls of the tubular margin.

ROBERT C. LEGAT. 

